Definition of hiatus
1a
: a break in or as if in a material object : gap
the weedy hiatus between the town and the railroad— Willa Cather the hiatus between the theory and the practice of the party— J. G. Colton
b
biology
: a gap or passage in an anatomical part or organ
2a
: an interruption in time or continuity : break
especially
: a period when something (such as a program or activity) is suspended or interrupted
after a 5-year hiatus from writing a summer hiatus
b
: the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or intervening consonantal sound
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Name That Food
-
- Name these cookies!

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share hiatus
Time Traveler for hiatus
The first known use of hiatus was in 1563
See more words from the same year